1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable computer devices. More specifically to a computer system that offloads difficult tasks, such as handwriting and speech recognition from a portable computer device to larger computational servers using a wireless communication system.
2. Art Background
Portable computer devices are fast becoming part of modern life. Most portable computer devices rely upon keyboards for means of inputting information. To simplify the use of a portable computer devices, a new class of portable computer devices has emerged that rely upon input devices other than keyboards. For example, several new portable computer devices such as the Newton.RTM. MessagePad by Apple.RTM. Computer and the Wizard.RTM. by Sharp allow a user to enter information by writing onto a flat panel display using a stylus or finger. The portable computer device processes the user's handwriting using a handwriting recognition algorithm that translate the user's handwriting into encoded text. Other systems allow a user to enter information by speaking into the device.
Handwriting recognition and speech recognition have proven to be a very difficult task. To accurately recognize the text that a user has written by hand, a handwriting recognition algorithm must perform thousands of calculations per word. Speech recognition programs must find the gaps between words and attempt to recognize each word. It is therefore ideal to have a very fast microprocessor in a portable computer that performs handwriting or speech recognition. However, fast microprocessors usually have a set of characteristics that make them unsuitable for use in a portable computer system. Fast microprocessors often use large amounts of power such that if a fast microprocessor is placed into portable computer, the amount of time the portable computer can operate on a battery will be greatly reduced. Due to the high power consumption, fast microprocessors generally generate significant amounts of heat that needs to be dissipated. Finally, fast microprocessor are expensive and would thus greatly increase the cost of any portable computer system containing a fast microprocessor.
Furthermore, the accuracy of handwriting and speech recognition programs can be greatly improved if there is a large amount of external storage available. With a large external storage device, such as a hard disk drive, the portable computer device can store a large dictionary that contains information about words that a user may write or speak. For example, a handwriting recognition program may contain a database of information that would help recognize a particular user's handwriting strokes in different contexts. A speech recognition program may access a database storing information about a particular speaker's pronunciation style. These databases can be used to verify the words written or spoken by a user. However, large external storage devices, such as hard disk drives, add extra weight and also tend to require significant amounts of power. Thus, it is desirable to omit such peripherals from portable computer devices.